Corporations Should Not Be Exempted From Affordable Care Act Based on Religious Exercise

The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce have filed an amicus brief related to the Supreme Court case, Kathleen Sebelius vs. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., in which for-profit corporations and their controlling shareholders claim the right to be exempted from the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) requirement that employer-provided health insurance plans cover the full range of FDA-approved methods of birth control.

In addition to the substantial threat this case poses to major gains in coverage ACA has brought to individuals, the NGLCC feels this case could set a dangerous precedent for future laws, such as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), that could give legal argument to for-profit companies to claim religious exemption on non-discrimination policies.

In our executive summary of the brief we state: “Recognizing a corporate free-exercise right would force companies to divert time and resources away from their core business activities in order to manage inevitable conflicts about the company’s purported religious beliefs that will arise among corporate stakeholders.”

We are proud to stand with USWCC to be the first business advocacy voices sharing policies on this case. We welcome other advocacy organizations and corporate entities to join us.